


I've Been Wandering 'Round (But I Still Come Back To You)

by thegreatestsun



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Cute Lian Harper, Fluff, Jason Todd Has Feelings, Jason Todd Has a Heart, M/M, Parent Roy Harper, Title from a Queen Song, like five and one but more compact, three and one things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:22:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27441874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegreatestsun/pseuds/thegreatestsun
Summary: Roy paused, and felt his face light up in a massive grin, despite the exhaustion creeping in. “Oh my god, really? Dude, I love you.”Jason seemingly froze, but quickly shook it off. “Don’t mention it.”---Three times Roy told Jason he loves him, and one time Jason told Roy.
Relationships: Lian Harper & Roy Harper & Jason Todd, Roy Harper/Jason Todd
Comments: 10
Kudos: 278





	I've Been Wandering 'Round (But I Still Come Back To You)

**Author's Note:**

> hi did you know i love Them 
> 
> (title is from "You're My Best Friend" by Queen)

1\. A favour.

It was late. It was late, everything hurt, and Roy’s head was spinning. God, he needed to stop taking missions so late. He still needed to call Dinah and check in with Lian, but first he had to out his bow away, take all his armour off, about a hundred other things… he was _so_ tired. Why, just _why_ , was their mission in _Madrid_ of all places?

Jason couldn’t have been fairing much better, it was an equally hard night on him, and _Christ_ they had to fill in case files and translate all that Spanish, fuck, he could barely keep his eyes open–

He pressed the base of his bow to his foot, and bent it, taking off the string. He left his bow in pieces at the small table in the middle of the room as he slumped down. Ugh, okay, he had to at least take off his gloves. If he could just hold his head up for a little longer…

“Roy,” Jason said softly, and Roy looked up from where he was staring aimlessly at the table’s woodwork.

Jason looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes, but he waved his hand towards the safehouse’s bedroom, helmet in one hand, domino mask in the other. “Go to bed. I’ll put your stuff away.” He said, putting his helmet on the table as he sat down across from Roy.

Roy blinked at him, and realised that he hadn’t even taken his domino off yet. “But it’s _my_ stuff, dude.”

“And? Roy, you’re exhausted.” Jason argued, pulling his helmet closer, rolling it so it was on its head, and fiddling around with the inside controls.

“But I gotta text Dinah and–”

“Check Lian? I’ll do it.” Jason said offhandedly, like Roy wasn’t canonizing him as a Saint. “You’ve gotta actually _see_ her tomorrow.” Was Jason’s hair always that fluffy, or was it just because of the helmet?

…Jesus, Roy was exhausted.

“Go on.” Jason said, motioning to the door with his head, as he fiddled with the helmet. His hair was _bouncy_. Roy decided he really liked the white streak in his hair. “I’ll just sleep in tomorrow.”

Roy paused, and felt his face light up in a massive grin, despite the exhaustion creeping in. “Oh my god, really? Dude, I love you.”

Jason seemingly froze, but quickly shook it off. “Don’t mention it.” He muttered, but Roy was already stumbling towards the bedroom, not even bothering to take off his armour.

If he woke up the next day with his boots and gloves arranged neatly on the floor, he didn’t wake Jason to ask about it.

* * *

2\. Babysitting.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, it was all going _wrong_. Roy stared at his phone, but the text didn’t change before his eyes. It’s like the universe didn’t even care that he had a mission _and_ a kid.

The fucking babysitter cancelled. And Roy needed to be on the road – he checked his watch, nearly swore, and bit his tongue, because Lian was sat on the couch next to him and he did _not_ need her repeating swearwords at school, the teachers already disapproved of him enough as it was – like _ten minutes ago_.

Well. It was time to pick from the reserves.

“Hey, Dinah, you’re not busy are–”

“ _Hi! You’ve reached Dinah Lance, I’m really sorry, but I can’t take a call right now!_ ” Dinah’s voice responded cheerfully. Roy sighed heavily as the rest of the voice message played. So, no Dinah. Who else was in Star City that he could call on short notice?

He kept one eye on Lian as she watched some Disney movie, he couldn’t remember the name of it, as he dialled a number he hadn’t in a good long while. He stared at the door, and swallowed dryly, half dreading the voice at the other end of the phone. But he needed someone to look after Lian as soon as possible, and Ollie was in the city.

“Um, hi, Ollie? It’s Roy–”

“ _Sorry, I can’t talk right now–_ ”

Roy hung up quickly, and sighed in relief. No Ollie, which was more of a relief, but no Dinah. Which was a bad thing. Shit, who else could he –

Wait, _Jason_. Duh, of _course_ , Roy should’ve called him first.

Roy dialled the number quickly, and started speaking as soon as the dial tone stopped, so Jason wouldn’t be able to tell him ‘no’ without hearing him out first.

Maybe it was the leftover anxiety from Ollie.

“Hi, sorry, this is _super_ last minute, but I need a babysitter. Just for the day, I promise, and–”

“Okay.” Jason’s voice said, sounding surprised and a little softer than usual. It made all of Roy’s anxiety disappear, and he felt a little giddy. Jesus, he just _heard_ his _voice_. “I’ll be there as fast as I can. Do I need to bring anything?”

And for what felt like the millionth time in his life, Roy Harper thanked whoever was up there for Jason Todd. “No, you’re good. Well, we’ve got stuff if someone breaks in–”

“I know my way around your hiding spaces, Harper.” Jason interrupted, and Roy couldn’t have cared less. There was a sudden roaring noise in the background, Jason’s bike. “I’m on my way. I’d keep talking, but y’know, helmets.”

Roy sighed with relief. “You, Jason Todd, are an absolute _lifesaver_ ,” He slumped down on the couch, next to Lian, pulling her into a hug as she half-ignored him, more focused on the mermaid on the screen. “Man, I love you.” He added, and Roy _meant_ that.

There was a pause, before Jason exhaled softly against the phone, like he was laughing. “I’ll use the zetas, see you in fifteen, Harper.”

Jason hung up, and Roy kept the phone pressed to his ear, smiling dumbly before he realised what he must’ve looked like, and quickly slipped the phone into his pocket.

“That’s you.” Lian said, pointing at Ariel. “You’ve got the same hair.”

Roy snorted. “Oh, I see.”

“And because you’re like her with Eric. But with Jason.” Lian said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Roy stared down at her. What was she on about?

“I’m not… we’re not–” Roy stuttered, but Lian was looking up at him like he was stupid. “Jay is gonna look after you tonight.”

“Are you gonna be late for your job?” Lian asked innocently, and Roy was up on his feet before she could call him out for apparent _laziness_ as well.

* * *

3\. Coming home.

It was an extremely rare occurrence that Roy found himself mad at Donna, because she did _try_ to cut it as short as possible, but he had no one else to be pissed at. _We’ll be done by six_ , his _arse_. It was fucking _half-past eleven_ –

Which meant that, if Jason was a half decent babysitter, Lian _should_ be asleep.

Creeping in through the bedroom window as slowly as possible, Roy got dressed into civvies as quickly and silently as he could – he didn’t need to explain to Lian why he was tucking her into bed in a costume that she didn’t recognise –before cracking open the bedroom door.

The lights were still on, and Jason was lying down on the couch, his jacket splayed over him like a blanket. Hah. Lian probably tired him out. She had a lot of energy, even for a six-year-old.

Roy let the door swing open, and flicked off the lights, walking softly in order to not wake Jason. He reached over, to try and rearrange him better on the couch, and paused. Tucked in next to Jason, hogging most of his jacket, curled right up against his chest, was Lian.

That was… surprisingly endearing. She really did look at home there. But she really should sleep in a bed, this just wouldn’t be comfy in the long run, no matter how comfy Jason probably was.

Roy slid the jacket off of the two of them, and placed it on the floor, making a mental note to put it back on Jason when he was done. He slid his arms around Lian, and slowly, _slowly_ , pried her out of Jason’s grip. He was a pro at manoeuvring a sleepy six-year-old by now, and thankfully, Lian _didn’t_ show him up, and stayed asleep. She did mumble a little, but went limp in his arms as he carried her off to her room. Jason did remember to put her in pyjamas, and her hair was even brushed and tied up neatly. Who would’ve thought, Jason Todd, babysitter extraordinaire? Roy would have to call him more often.

Roy quickly tucked Lian into bed, and inched his way out of her room, before turning back to Jason, who was blinking and starting to shift. Ah, shit. He may be an expert at keeping six-year-olds asleep, but that knowledge apparently wasn’t applicable to Jason.

“Hey, go back to sleep,” Roy said softly, kneeling down next to the couch, resting his hand on Jason’s shoulder. “you can stay the night, it’s okay.”

Jason made a low noise, and sighed slightly, rolling over on his side a little more, pressing his face into the couch cushion. Roy quickly reached down and grabbed Jason’s jacket from the ground, slipping it over Jason like a blanket. Jason’s eyes blinked open, and he stared up at Roy blearily.

“Lian’s asleep,” Jason muttered, feeling around for her. Roy watched in mild amusement as Jason’s eyes widened in genuine fear. “wh – she was –”

“I know, Jaybird.” Roy interrupted softly. It was sweet, Jason really did care about Lian. And Roy might’ve even dared to think Jason cared about him too. “I put her to bed, you two have fun?”

“She thinks you’re a mermaid.” Jason muttered. He sighed, and shifted, starting to get up. “I should go–”

“Nah,” Roy pushed at his shoulder gently, and Jason froze. His hair was interesting, even when pressed down on one side, his hair was kind of curly and fluffy, white streak bright and noticeable like a lightning bolt in the sky. Roy liked it a lot, but that might’ve just been because it was part of Jason.

“You can stay the night. It’s late, and you’re clearly tired.” Jason frowned, but he laid down without argument.

“Night Roy.” He said softly, after a pause.

“Night, Jaybird. Sleep well,” Roy whispered. “I love you.” He added on instinct. He paused, and Jason made a small, comfy sound. Before Roy could tell himself no, he reached forward, pressed a quick kiss to Jason’s forehead, and quickly stood up. There wasn’t a gun pressed to his head, and no knife to his throat, so Jason was either asleep already, _or he was totally fine with it_ –

Roy pretended he wasn’t blushing as he went to sleep himself.

* * *

1+. Saving a life.

Jason pushed him down to the ground, and the air was on fire, wind ruffling their hair as the warehouse exploded.

Roy gasped, smoke scorching his lungs and throat, the sky above him a firework of black and reds, oranges, and yellows. The ground beneath him had to be spinning. It had to be, right? At least he had the comforting weight of Jason pressing him down, keeping him grounded.

The cold metal of Jason’s helmet pressed into Roy’s neck, and his chest heaved against Roy’s. “Jesus _Christ_ ,” he gasped, voice distorted and robotic. He pushed himself up on one elbow, and pulled the helmet off, face flushed and hair wild. The warehouse behind them burned, sending smoke into the air, casting golden and scarlet shadows over Jason’s handsome face.

With his heart racing, staring into bright blue eyes – so close that Roy could see the green flecks in them – breathing fire into his lungs, Roy started laughing. Fucking hell, _Jason_ fucking _Todd_ had pushed him out of an exploding building that was painting the sky with fire as it burnt. How the fuck were either of them still alive? They’d done this so many times, again and again. Jason had saved Roy’s life more times than Roy could count.

“Dude, why the fuck are you laughing?” Jason asked, looking down at Roy from above. His elbows were right above Roy’s shoulders, and if Roy even raised his head a little bit, they’d knock their foreheads together.

“I have no idea!” he confessed through giggles. Jesus _Christ_ , Jason _fucking_ Todd was laying on him, ankles intertwined. Roy tilted his head to the side, still laughing as the grass brushed his cheek. “Fucking – _hah_ – adrenaline, probably!”

Jason gave him a soft look as Roy kept giggling. “Christ. You’re an _idiot_.” But his voice was fond, and they both knew he meant it about as much as he meant any insult.  
  


“It’s a good thing you love me.” Roy replied, his laughter finally dying down, and he realised Jason was so, _so_ close.

“Yeah.” Jason whispered. “I do.”

They really should’ve moved by now.

Roy let go of his bow, still held tight in his grip, and brought his hands up to Jason’s face. “I’m – I really wanna kiss you now. Is that okay?”

Jason blinked, pure shock and surprise, before he answered his question by kissing him first.

**Author's Note:**

> dudes this was a nightmare to try and post, my laptop is broken (and i'm getting a new one soon!!) and sometimes the keyboard just straight up does not work rip
> 
> anyway leave a kudos or a comment or both if you enjoyed <3


End file.
